2009 in Mexico!

Wow! What a rush! New Year's Eve in Puerto Vallarta!
My very special friend, Mary, came for a visit over Christmas (she made it out of Portland just hours before the snowstorm closed down the airport). We showed her around La Cruz, took her shopping in P.V., amazed her with whales, sea turtles and night watches on the way to Barra Navidad and eased her into the "cruising lifestyle" with Margaritas, dinghy rides and lounging by the pool or in the cockpit while in Barra. I think she had a great time and we certainly enjoyed having her visit. Since Mary was flying home from P.V. on New Years Eve, and we were all planning to make the bus trip back with her, I booked a couple rooms so the 3 of us could celebrate the New Year before returning to the boat. What a great idea that was!!
Our hotel is high on the hill over looking the Malacon and Banderas Bay...a fabulous view! The rooms are very large and comfortable and the balcony view is absolutely wonderful.The restaurant on the top floor (the floor above our room) was planning a big dinner and celebration but at $85 US per person we opted to skip it. After we got settled in, we walked down to the Malacon, had a great early dinner at the Chez Sabor, picked up a bottle of tequila and some mix and snacks and headed back to the room to watch the action.
We set up our "party headquarters" in Chris & my room and sat on the balcony watching boats moving in, taxis bringing revelers to the hotel and the, always perfect, Mexican sunset. As the night wore on, the noise level increased steadily from all fronts. Private parties and organized events were everywhere and there were thousands of people walking along the Malacon (walkway) and the beach...the cacophony sounded like "Carnival" and the decibel level of it all increased by the hour. Being "cruisers" we all started to fade pretty fast and by 10:00 Patty went back to her room and Chris & I went to bed. It was not possible to sleep so when we began to hear the explosions we got up and watched the fireworks from the balcony. It was amazing!! The display must have gone on for a good hour and extended all the way around the shoreline of the Bay. Every time we thought it was the finale, more fireworks would begin. Music was playing from every side, people were yelling and celebrating, boats were honking their horns and even a Norwegian Lines cruise ship came out into the melee so their guests could watch and their horn added a lovely long, slow bass note that set the whole night off. It was fantastic!
I am still in awe of the fact that I am actually IN Mexico after all the years of dreaming, but bringing in a New Year in Puerto Vallarta with my wonderful friend, Patty, and my sweetheart, Chris, is something that will live in my heart forever.